Respublika

You can schedule your transportation to and from Malakasa using the buses of Apollon Travel Services, with a ticket price of €12

Thursday 13/6: 19:00, 19:30
Friday 14/6: 19:00, 19:30
Saturday 15/6: 19:00, 19:30, 00:00, 00:30

Return | From Malakasa to Athens (Larissa Station)

Thursday 13/6: 02:30
Friday 14/6: 02:30
Saturday 15/6 (Sunday early hours): 02:30, 04:30, 06:30, 08:00

• The title of the show comes from the Latin phrase res publica, which roughly translates to "public sphere" or "matters of common interest." It can also refer to a good that belongs to many people, as in public property. Paradoxically, the term was also identified in ancient Rome with the Roman Empire, i.e., a monarchy. At the same time, the English word republic, which derives from the same phrase, is translated as democracy.
• For Lukasz Twarkowski, rave is an inherently anti-capitalist genre of event. "You go to an electronic music night to escape from the world. Drugs are frequently involved, but even without them, rhythmic dance evokes a strange sense of blurring the boundaries between people, genders, and ages," he explains.
• Following in the footsteps of the British rave movement explosion in the late 1980s, the Greek rave scene emerged in the early 1990s, with epic, 15-hour-long parties held in remote places outside the city for a few thousand eccentric initiates. The intoxicating electro beats, non-stop dancing until dawn, and free love contributed to the formation of a community and a collective culture with characteristics similar to those of the hippie generation, centered around the "Farm" in Oinofyta―a warehouse with straw stages and a few acres of land instead of a dancefloor―and similar events in the area of Varibobi. The "Farm" closed in 1996, but the scene continued on the big dance stages for a few more years.
• The creation of “Respublika” started with workshops in the wild nature of Lithuania. All the actors and creative team left their homes to spend months in a secluded community. Throughout their stay in the forest, the actors of "Respublika" shared their thoughts on camera. Their confessions total 50 hours of footage, which made the director do a lot of selection and, in the final version, provides revealing insights about freedom and raises questions about our society, common well-being, and the world’s future. The show features one hour of excerpts from this.
• The show's premiere in Vilnius in September 2020 was met with positive reviews from critics on various channels. "It is not the immersive form; it is not the forest of images; it is not the state of delirium; nor is it even the unique space that gives ‘Respublika’ its value. Its beauty lies in its humanity―naked, unadorned, yet piercingly intimate," writes the theater site Menų Faktūra (Lithuania). "Twarkowski combines the strengths of different art forms to raise contemporary questions about the contradictory relationships between the individual and society, the economy, nature, and ourselves" notes “7 meno dienos”.

16 confessions of a raver

For a teenager growing up in late 1980s London, rave parties in warehouses, garages, and even under bridges were a "forbidden Disneyland."

The sound of rave emerged in clubs and pirate stations, but it was illegal parties that made it irresistible and spawned an entire culture.

The use of illegal substances such as MDMA, MDA, and 2CB promised blissful moments of escape, while the generation of weekenders it produced partied like there was no tomorrow, from Friday night to Sunday noon (until they collapsed on the floors and couches to chill out).

Raves were something of an epiphany for a frustrated generation that found solace in revelry and the plastic world of ecstasy.

Electronic music, from house and techno to jungle and garage, fostered a sense of abandon, unity, and collective revelry, resulting in a global culture that caused panic among moralists and alarmists alike.

Clubs such as Shoom in London and Hacienda in Manchester, along with a slew of DJs who went on to become superstars for the jilted generation (Danny Rampling, Andrew Weatherall, Paul Oankenfold, A Guy Called Gerald, Carl Cox), quickly adopted and popularized acid house, forever changing everything from the way people danced to their way of thinking and even their political beliefs.

Rave was met with fierce opposition from the media and politicians, as well as musicians from other genres, who saw it as "altering" contemporary music – until it was incorporated into pop music, causing even its most ardent detractors to change their minds.

The music dominated the charts and inevitably influenced young pop musicians, who were also seduced by the vibe and atmosphere of the parties, culminating, after the second “summer of love,” in the Manchester sound, primarily associated with bands like the Stone Roses, the Happy Mondays, the Charlatans, and the Inspiral Carpets, as well as albums like Primal Scream’s “Screamadelica.”

As rave culture spread internationally, British youth had to "fight for their right to party" (as the Beastie Boys had predicted a few years earlier). The British government prohibited gatherings under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of 1994 (specifically Section 63), allowing police to disperse all parties in the suburbs and outskirts of cities.

More than 50,000 people gathered in London's suburbs to demonstrate against the law.

Rave culture has had a lasting impact on fashion and design (album, magazine, and book covers, flyers, and even everyday objects and accessories), defining an entire era. The fluorescent and neon colors, bum bags, smiley face, and strobe lights will always be regarded as "symbols" of the rave generation.

Clubs such as Mad Club, Atomo, U-Matic, Alsos in Pedion tou Areos, Factory in Omonia, Club Tessera in Piraeus, +Soda, Camel, Battery, Qbase, Playroom, Amfiteatro; the parties at "Farma" in Oinofyta, in Varybombi, Alepochori, Alimos, and Ancient Corinth; the downtown record stores; and magazines like "Lemon", Freeze and "01" all contributed to a culture that appeared poised to change everything forever.

DJs such as Mikee, Christo Z, Nikos Patrelakis, Petros Floorfiller, Akyllas, Leo Sega, and Mikele introduced Greece to the sounds of European and American clubs, transforming the local scene and laying the groundwork for Stereo Nova, the ultimate band of the Greek club generation.

Techno's renaissance and dominance in Athens' nightlife can be attributed to the influence of rave culture, while trap's growing popularity since 2015 has resulted in a trend of school parties and music nights reminiscent of the rave party craze. Even the secret rooftop parties and outdoor summer parties organized by the city's newer residents have a rave vibe to them.

The climate of safety created by the inclusive space of the party, where people of all genders, races, and classes have their place, as well as the climate of love, tolerance, and unity it fostered, were the rave generation’s legacy and greatest accomplishment.